3rd Month of 300 A.C. Somewhere over Slaver's Bay
Queen Daenaerys I Targaryen
The figure before her is sat on her dragon, one of her children is there before her, and she knows, she just knows something is going to happen now. The figure has silver hair and violet eyes, and he grins at her. He grins and she feels like she has seen him before, but she does not know where, the anger inside her is growing, developing, forming into something bold and brash, into something deep and penetrating. She wants this figure dead, and she wants to be the one to kill him. "Where is your cousin?" she asks.
"He has gone, gone to see that you never make it to Westeros." the figure replies.
"And he can try to stop me, but now that I have my army, he will never succeed." Dany responds.
The figure merely smiles and says. "I would not be so sure of that. He is from Dorne, and the Dornish do not bend so easily."
Dany does not bother responding instead she commands Drogon to unleash a burst of fire, which engulfs the figure and one of her children, but they emerge from it unscathed, Dany feels something like shock engulf her then, but she pushes on. She barks a command and Drogon unleashes another burst of fire. Another burst of fire, and then another, but the two figures come out unscathed. "Come now, do not be so foolish, if you want me dead come and fight me." the figure replies mockingly, before turning and moving away.
Dany feels her anger grow stronger, the figure is being so very impudent, she thinks she might just lash out. She spurs Drogon on, chasing the figure and her child through the fog, moving further and further away from the ships below. They engage in fire dance, and Dany feels something within her scream at this unnatural act, her children should not be fighting, they should be working with one another to bring down this false pretender. She roars a command and this time her second child comes out of the darkness and begins engaging in a dance with the other dragon. Dany watches, transfixed and horrified at the same time, as her children fight and burn one another, and yet she does nothing to stop it. There is something primal about it, something that must needs be done, if one wants to achieve power. She is tired of waiting and hiding, she wants to see power and she wants it now.
Dany whispers a command and soon enough she is flying toward the dancing dragons before her, she hurtles into them and engages in the biting and clawing of her children. She feels as if she is being torn apart, but she knows deep down that this has to happen, they cannot succeed divided, either she must find a way to bring her children to heel or two of them must die. The figure with the silver hair is laughing, jeering at her, calling out commands at her child and she feels her heart tear into two, she wants this figure brought before her and killed, she wants him dead. By the gods she wants him dead, so very badly, she knows he must die, and yet she wants to know who he is as well. She does not know truly who he is but she feels as if she does, some vague memory is playing within her mind.
The dance is tearing her in two, she feels as if she is betraying one child, and hurting another, only Drogon seems to be fighting without any care in the world. He has always been the most dominant one of her children, and as such right now he is in his dominant habitat, fighting and killing. She watches from his back as though she is far away, watches as he tears into Viserion and has her child fights back, killing biting, it is all the same to her children. Her heart feels as if it is being ripped from her shoulders, by the gods it hurts. But it still happens, every time there is a bite or a blast of fire, she feels her heart fall to the ground and die. It hurts, it truly hurts and yet it happens again and again, again and again. It continues happening until finally one of her children, Viserion she thinks falls down to the ground tumbling his body bloodied and broken, nothing left of him. She cries, and Drogon howls and yet they continue fighting, there is no reprieve for her, her heart has to continue falling down.
Drogon is tiring she can see that now, she can feel it, but he still fights, it's as if he is possessed and yet still they continue fighting, dancing and crushing one another. There is a sense that she is falling down, that she has failed as a parent, perhaps she should not have allowed the dragons to be chained, perhaps if she had not done that, her heart would not be tearing itself into a million pieces right now. There are so many things she wishes she could do differently, but deep down she thinks that perhaps there is no chance for change, that she had to do as she did, otherwise things would have been much worse for her. It is that uncertainty which is eating away at her, and she feels herself bleeding from gods alone knows what, but she already feels dead, she knows that sooner or later she will die.
The figure falls from her child, plummeting deep down into the waves below, his body broken and bruised and her child follows him, crying with a deep searing pain. She feels betrayed, she feels as if all she knew was a lie, and yet as she watches them fall to their deaths, all she can think is that perhaps all of this was not meant for her. The dragons, the ships, the army, they were all meant for someone else, someone with a true claim to the throne. Perhaps she will find that person when she goes to Westeros, perhaps she will not, either way the deed is done now.
King's Landing
Ser Kevan Lannister
The king had called a council meeting late in the day, truth be told it was more night than day, and as such Kevan wondered what might be the pressing matter. He wiped sleep from his eyes, and looked at the king, who seemed alert and awake, considering the lateness of the hour, he could only imagine what the young king had been doing. The king was so unlike his brother, and yet there was more of Robert Baratheon in him than there had been in Joffrey, gods alone knew what that meant, but Kevan did not want to think on that, and so he listened as the king speaks.
"There has been word from Lord Tyrion, he has stopped off at Riverrun and has met with Lord Tully, it seems that the man plans on going north with Lord Stark in order to aid him with dealing with the traitors there. The Blackfish has been left in command of Riverrun. But that is not the main point of his letter, what he wrote to me for, was to say that it seems that there is some new discoveries coming into the Rock." the king says.
"What sort of discoveries Your Grace?" Kevan asks.
"Artefacts and possessions from across the Sunset Sea. It appears that some of our sailors who set off under my father's direction have finally returned. And they have brought with them tales of a dark skinned people worshipping lions and wolves." the king responds.
Kevan looks at the king and sees boyish excitement in the king's eyes. "I would consider their claims with a hint of caution Your Grace. These sailors might well be looking for some payment for falsified claims."
The king looks at him and merely says. "That might be true, but I want to see these things for myself and compare them to what we know from a prior expedition. Pycelle that shall be your duty when the time comes."
The Grand Maester nods, and then Kevan speaks. "There has been word from the Vale Your Grace, it seems Lord Baelish is himself coming to swear fealty alongside his wife and step son."
The king looks at him then, and Kevan gets a feeling that there is some of Tywin in there as well. It unnerves him somewhat. "And do you think he genuinely means to do this, or is he planning some false move?"
Kevan considers this and then says. "I do not know Your Grace, but from what my enquiries have shown, Baelish is working toward something, something sinister. And it would seem he might well have had a hand in starting the war."
There is a surprised gasp around the council chamber. "And what evidence is there for that?"
Kevan considers this for a moment and then responds. "He met with Lady Stark and Lord Stark when Lord Stark was hand of the king, about the attack on their son Brandon, and he lied and said that a dagger that had been used was Lord Tyrion's, when in fact it was his, he had bought it from King Robert some two moons before the court left for Winterfell. Furthermore, it seems from speaking to people within Baelish's pay, he sent a man after the boy, in order to have him killed to spark the war."
The king looks angry, very angry now. "Why would he do that?"
Before Kevan can speak, it is the eunuch who responds. "Chaos Your Grace, Baelish wanted to destabilise the realm and come out on top. He has always held a grudge against the Starks, and as such it seems that that is what motivated him."
The king's eyes seem as if they are brewing a storm, there is a deep anger there, and Kevan wonders what he might do. "You have sufficient evidence for this?"
Kevan nods. "Yes, the sworn testimony of several of Baelish's spies and workers who are all willing to testify against him. As well as documents found in the brothels he owns. More than enough to convict him and have him killed."
The king merely nods. "Good. We shall make it seem as if all is well, there are to be no sudden changes, we shall greet him as we would any normal lord, and then when he is in the throne room he shall be tried. When is he to arrive?"
"In two weeks' time I believe Your Grace." Kevan responds.
The king merely nods and then asks. "What word from the Reach and the Stormlands. Has Tarly been successful?"
Kevan sighs then. "Lord Tarly and his son and heir are dead, slain during the battle. Storm's End however has held out, the force under Tarly was then commanded by Lord Edgar Sloane who held firm against the Golden Company. It seems the pretender retreated, but not before having Sloane killed as well."
"Where have they retreated to?" the king asks.
"Griffin's Roost Your Grace, they shall try for another attack soon, with more men." Kevan responds.
The king considers this a moment and then asks. "And what of the Ironborn?"
"Beaten, the Redwyne fleet has managed to prevent them from getting toward Oldtown, thanks to the efforts of the Hightower fleet as well. Mace Tyrell has managed to save Highgarden, and Euron Greyjoy and his commanders were slain. It seems the Ironborn who were fighting alongside them were massacred." Kevan says.
The king nods. "Good, send word to Tyrell, I want him to slay this pretender at Griffin's Roost, and I want him to bring me his head. I want him to march as soon as he can. And remind him I have his daughter."
Kevan nods. "It shall be done Your Grace."
There is a pause, and then the king speaks once more. "What of Daenaerys Targaryen, has there been any word on her?"
There is a moment's silence and then the eunuch speaks. "It seems she might well have found her army and her ships Your Grace. Ironborn under Dagon Codd it seems have found her and are bringing her toward the kingdoms."
The king sighs. "Send word to Lord Redwyne as well as Lord Hightower, we shall need their ships. And I want a report on how well the building of the ships is going."